A.I.D.S. Not Spread By Sufferers ‘well-known’ (Press, 31 January 1987)

On 31 January 1987, a spokesman from the Wellington Lesbian and Gay Resource Centre, Mr Phil Parkinson, addressed the longstanding misconception regarding the contagion of A.I.D.S. According to Parkinson, the gay community had long been aware that individuals suffering from A.I.D.S. are not contagious. This topic gained attention during the A.N.Z.A.A.S. science congress held in Palmerston North following remarks made by Nobel Prizewinner Dr Carleton Gajdusek, who asserted that A.I.D.S. patients do not spread the virus. Parkinson supported this view by referencing the experiences seen in the United States, where health care providers and loved ones of A.I.D.S. patients remained uninfected. He explained that, like certain other illnesses such as measles, the virus can be contagious before the infected individual shows symptoms. The virus primarily affects T-cells, integral to the immune system's functioning. Although infected individuals often feel healthy, by the time the disease progresses to full-blown A.I.D.S. and has severely compromised their immune system, they are left with virtually no T-cells, rendering them susceptible to illnesses but also non-contagious. As per Health Department statistics, there were just over 200 people in New Zealand who tested positive for A.I.D.S. antibodies, of which 35 were confirmed A.I.D.S. sufferers. Importantly, Parkinson emphasised that it is the larger group of 200, not the smaller group of 35, that poses a risk of contagion. He noted that this critical point has not been effectively communicated to the public, who continue to exhibit fear regarding the virus. Parkinson recalled a case from the previous year, which involved a four-year-old girl named Eve van Grafhorst. She was antibody positive and her family relocated to New Zealand from Australia to escape harassment. He argued that while there is a theoretical risk of transmission in her situation, significant risk factors like sexual activity or needle sharing would have to be involved for a child to pose any real threat—activities deemed highly unlikely in children. In closing, Parkinson advocated for the necessity of educating not just the gay community but the broader population about A.I.D.S. to mitigate the ongoing hysteria surrounding the syndrome. This education is critical to dispelling myths and fostering a clearer understanding of the realities faced by A.I.D.S. patients and the dynamics of the virus.

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